NRCPDS

This is the official website of the National Resource Center for Participant-Directed Services (NRCPDS), which is the only national center of its kind to assist states and other agencies or organizations that want to offer, or already offer, participant-directed services to people with disabilities. NRCPDS provides technical assistance, research, education, and training to both Medicaid and non-Medicaid funded programs.

The NRCPDS hosted the 4th Biennial Financial Management Services Conference in November 2011. The day and a half long conference featured workshops with participant direction tax experts from the Internal Revenue Service as well as with other Financial Management Services specialists and experts. Review the archived presentation slides for an overview of the content.

These Guiding Principles were developed to help to preserve the rights of individuals under participant direction, no matter what form or model, if and when workers choose to form a union. The NRCPDS cover letter, Guiding Principles, and NRCPDS Director Kevin Mahoney's signing ceremony remarks are available here.

Hiring relatives as caregivers remains a controversial policy issue. This two-state case study reports findings about views from policy experts regarding a policy option to hire family caregivers in HCBS long-term care programs. Policy makers also discussed information needed by other states considering this option and effective approaches to disseminate findings about this option from the Cash & Counseling Demonstration Evaluation.

What are the goals of consumer direction? Does mental illness affect consumer direction of community-based care? This presentation addresses these and other tough questions faced in planning and implementing participant-directed programs. Information on consumer assessments, representatives, and common sense approaches and intervention are discussed, as well as additional tools and resources.

The Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging sponsored PPAR’s Winter/Spring 2010 issue. It includes seven articles written by national experts describing recent and notable changes in LTC policy, with its increasing emphasis on HCBS services. An introductory essay provides a 30-year review of the evolutionary process of LTC. Consumer-directed initiatives, caregiver and workforce issues, maturation of the service delivery system, and a review of recent state-level initiatives are discussed.

Review this article addressing family policy questions that are often asked about consumer-directed services. Issues such as quality, suitability, and fraud and abuse are examined. Elder consumers and their caregivers who participated in the Arkansas Cash and Counseling program were interviewed. Analysis of responses demonstrates how this model can address both the needs of consumers with diverse disabilities and policy makers.

Find useful tools to help you advocate for participant-directed services. This toolkit offers a “Budget Myths Chart” highlighting common myths, counter-arguments, and important facts to make your case, and other helpful tools including personal stories, reports on involving program participants, and tips and examples of opinion articles suggested by policymakers and advocates.

The NRCPDS is seeking information to determine which innovative ideas beyond the basic service model (Cash & Counseling) offers sufficient promise to be funded as 18 month Innovation Grants. Priority categories are: 1) Managed Care and PD, 2) Agency with Choice PD, and 3) Peer to Peer Support Models in PD. Applicants with another category that they consider an innovative advancement to a C&C program model are also invited to apply. Due date is July 1, 2010.

Find a chart that summarizes the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Community First Choice Option. This legislation amends 1915 of the Social Security Act to allow States to provide “Community-Based Attendant Services and Supports”. Information regarding financing, eligibility, scope of services, system design, quality management, evaluation and stakeholder involvement are included.